Arts & Culture

Being a musician can be tough. It can be brutal. Apart from trying to create—and then build an audience for what you're creating—there's the side of the music scene that can be ugly: Intense competition. Not getting support or inspiration. The music business has long been dominated by men—especially on the business and production sides. Which means, all too often, that women have even bigger mountains to climb.

The semicolon isn’t the most common punctuation mark; however, it does manage to stir up some pretty some strong and divisive feelings. Writers like Charles Dickens and Ben Johnson were both big fans of the mark; they felt it was nuanced and sophisticated. However, plenty of other writers have thrown shade at the semi-colon. The mark has been called “odious," “unnecessary," and “sissified." Kurt Vonnegut once said that all semicolons do is “show that you’ve been to college.”

Ancient Egyptian history and culture is considered one of the oldest traces of Western civilization, and those who ruled in Egypt were known as pharaohs. King Tutankhamun, or King Tut, is one of the most widely known pharaohs. His tomb was discovered 94 years ago today, in 1922, by archeologist Howard Carter. Inside it was the mummified body of King Tut. Howard Markel, a University of Michigan professor and medical historian, discussed King Tut's tomb and its supposed curse with Stateside .

The “Artisans of Michigan” series visits Lansing’s Old Town neighborhood. Welcome to Elderly Instruments . If you’ve been a musician for a while, you probably know about Elderly. It became famous because of its catalog and well-stocked store. When the internet came along, the store’s following easily made the transition from flipping the pages to searching the site. The walls and racks at the brick-and-mortar store are full of acoustic guitars, electric guitars, mandolins, violins, banjos,...

From a youthful act that landed him in prison, to becoming a man whose life work is mentoring youth in Flint, Hubert Roberts offers a powerful lesson in redemption. Now that story is being told through the work of a Michigan State University professor and her team. Their project is called Hubert: His-Story . It’s a documentary film and a comic book that feature the life and work of Hubert Roberts of Flint. Roberts joined us today, along with Geri Alumit Zeldes , associate professor and director of Journalism Graduate Studies at MSU.

The Pickle Recipe is a film completely shot in and around Detroit, but it's packed with universal truths. Truth about family ties and about family members who make us crazy and warm our hearts—sometimes at the very same moment. And truth about the power of food and memories.

When I’m reading Francine J. Harris ’ poetry, I’m not doing anything else. It is the insistence of the voice, the images as troubling as they are beautifully wrought, the way the ink drifts from the left margin with the weight of her words, the indelible shape this technique makes on the page, that stays with the reader. Her newest collection, play dead, challenges us in the way that only the most daring poetry can. Harris’ language is so direct, so stark, that the poetry remains accessible, even as she experiments with form.

Is there really any wrong way to eat cake? It's doubtful. We’re happy to eat it covered in chocolate frosting, or layered with custard and berries, or even upside down with pineapple slices. That’s why it’s a little confusing when someone tells us, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” If you have cake, eating it seems like a reasonable expectation. Frankly, we’re troubled at the thought of letting a perfectly good piece of cake going to waste.

Cheers! Here’s something spooky for you. Our craft cocktail from Tammy Coxen at Tammy’s Tastings is perfect for Halloween. It includes pumpkin butter! This drink comes from Jessica Gonzalez at Death & Co, a craft cocktail bar in New York City. Coxen makes it Michigan by using Traverse City Whiskey Company ’s bourbon and a local pumpkin butter. The pumpkin butter is up front and the whiskey rounds out the taste. The lemon adds a little brightness, the cream style sherry adds sweet and...

The National Writers Series of Traverse City hits a big milestone this week. It will host its 100th author event. Quite a mark to hit for something that began in June of 2009. Doug Stanton and Anne Stanton are co-founders of the National Writers Series. They joined us to talk about how the National Writers Series came to be, and take a look back at some of the writers they’ve drawn to Traverse City.

"Mystic River," "Shutter Island," and coming in December, “Live By Night” are just some of the major Hollywood films based on stories by Dennis Lehane. After building a career as one of America’s most popular and most respected crime novelists, Lehane began writing widely acclaimed historical fiction. But he’s also built a parallel career in the worlds of television and film, including time as a writer for HBO’s “The Wire” and writing the screenplay for one of James Gandolfini’s final films, ...

To many, it seems like these are angry, unhappy times in America, and in our world. A new book offers an antidote. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World brings us wisdom from two of the world’s leading spiritual leaders – Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. It chronicles a conversation between the two leaders – sharing their stories and best teachings for creating long-lasting joy and happiness. The book pairs their thoughts with scientific research into happiness.

Silent letters are easily one of the more frustrating features of the English language. Just ask any elementary student. These letters and their penchant for being seen and not heard have been making our lives difficult since we first started learning how to read. Think about the first time you encountered the silent "k" while reading out loud. Who doesn't have at least one embarrassing story involving a "kuh-nife" or a "kuh-night"? Lexical trappings aside, a young That's What They Say listener wanted to know the point of having silent letters in English in the first place. Great question.

The book Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy has been getting lots of attention by the national media and is a National Book Award finalist. The author is University of Michigan Professor of History Heather Ann Thompson . She joined us today to talk about the 1971 prison uprising in New York and what we can learn from it today.

We’ve all heard amazing things about 3D printing. The University of Michigan School of Medicine manufactured a replacement part for a patient, manufacturers discover new uses almost every day, and artists are finding innovative ways to use the fairly new technology. The Grand Rapids Art Museum will soon hold an exhibition showcasing the work of Iris van Herpen, one of the earliest examples of 3D printing technology used in fashion design. Van Herpen has designed cutting edge designs for Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Bjork.

How do we respond to betrayal? Where do we turn when our horses bite us, our fiancés sneak into haylofts with other women, our husbands date their college students, our daughters run off with our boyfriends, our brothers place us in harm’s way? These are the kinds of predicaments Bonnie Jo Campbell confronts in her latest story collection, Mothers, Tell Your Daughters . The book opens impressively with “Sleepover,” which features two sisters who bond over a secret kept from their...

One of the most famous radio broadcasts of all time happened on October 30, 1938. Orson Welles, just 23 years old, and his Mercury Theater Company convinced many Americans that Martians had invaded with their radio adaption of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. It’s a reminder of the power of a radio performance, and it’s something that Joseph Zettelmaier wants to bring to audiences in Michigan. Zettelmaier’s Roustabout Theatre Troupe is going around Southeast Michigan bringing creepy, spooky, old-time radio plays to audiences so people can see the actors and see how the sound effects are made.

The "FOR SALE" sign is out on a building on Cass Avenue in Midtown Detroit. And that sign represents the end of an era. The building houses the Big Book Store, which is one of the very last independent bookstores left in Metro Detroit. After 80 years, the store's owner, John King, has decided to close it down. There's just not enough business to justify keeping doors open. And that means big changes are looming for the store's manager: Bill Foulkes has worked at the Big Book...

Kicking open the door to "the boy's club,” and bringing opportunities to women who want to make their mark on the comic book and gaming world: that's the mission of ComiqueCon . It’s a comic book convention specifically for women who create comics. And it's happening Oct. 22 in Dearborn at the Arab American National Museum.

Today, we hear a Jewish millennial explain why she supports Donald Trump for president. And, we speak with the first African-American teacher to be hired by the Lansing School District. To find interviews, click here or see below: Amid controversy, one Jewish woman's support for Trump hasn't wavered Lansing's first African-American teacher to enter Michigan Women's Hall of Fame A "gaggle of geezers" tells its stories, one cup at a time Minding Michigan: In memoir, daughter searches for father...

Since it was founded in 1985, the Motown Museum allowed visitors from around the world to visit the historic “Hitsville U.S.A.” recording studios, the first headquarters of Motown Records. Now the museum has announced a $50 million plan to expand out from the original museum and studio, adding 40,000 squre feet of new exhibits, recording studios, a theater, and retail space for visitors. Museum CEO Robin Terry says other developments in Detroit in recent years have created the atmosphere to...

Sometimes you stumble upon an easy, familiar word, and you just can’t remember how to say it. Take “complex”, for example. You’ve probably heard it pronounced two ways, with stress on either the first or second syllable. But which one is right? The answer is a bit complex.

Detroit's popular weekly Slow Roll bike ride was canceled for the second week in a row due to competing events. Slow Roll relies on the Detroit Police Department to manage street closures and ensure safety of the ride. However, Slow Roll can be preempted by other major events in the city. This presidential election season has created some conflicts for the police and Slow Roll organizers. The October 10 ride was canceled due to a campaign appearance by Hillary Clinton, and the organizers...

America is changing. Non-white kids now make up a majority of kindergartners. By the next presidential election, the Census Bureau predicts the majority of all children will be children of color. And by 2044, no one racial group will be a majority in the country. This cross-current of demographic and cultural change is upending traditional voting patterns and straining the fabric of what it means to be American. Throughout this election season, NPR and its member stations have been having a...

"October is my favorite month," Tammy Coxen of Tammy's Tastings said. "Do you know why? Apple cider!" Apple cider is a popular ingredient in a lot of cocktails which seem perfect for fall. Often the cider is mixed with bourbon or rum. But this cocktail, the Apple Business, is made with gin. "I chose Ann Arbor Distilling's Water Hill gin for this drink because of of the spicy garam masala note," Coxen said. The distiller's website indicates the botanicals used to flavor the gin include...

Texting has become a dominant means of communication in today’s interconnected world. Some reports suggest that large swaths of Americans prefer it to talking on their phone. If you count yourself among the 97% of Americans who send at least one text every day, it might be time to take another look at your texting etiquette. According to University of Michigan English professor Anne Curzan , there’s a chance you’re doing it all wrong.

Throughout this election season, NPR and its member stations have been having a national conversation called " A Nation Engaged ." The project has looked at central themes in this year's election, including this week's question: What does it actually mean to be American? We put this question to some promising young spoken word artists, and we'll be sharing their poems with you all week. This is a poem entitled Death of a Nation by Marrim Al-akashi, a graduate of Fordson High School.

There’s no arguing that Detroit has a rich and diverse musical heritage. There’s also no arguing that Detroit has had its challenges in preserving its history and heritage. That’s why the Detroit Sound Conservancy came to be. Its mission is to support Detroit’s musical heritage through advocacy, conservation, and education. This Saturday the DSC is holding its 3rd Annual Music Conference, free and open to the public.